Shortly after the all-new 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth made its U.S. media debut at Spring Mountain Motorsports Park in Nevada, executive editor Ron Kiino and I got to talking about which car we could pit against the Abarth. After banging our heads together for a while, we came to the conclusion that nothing on the market really exists for a true apples-to-apples comparison.

In the end, we settled on a competitor that could give the cheeky little Abarth a genuine run for its money and possibly teach it a lesson or two in the process. It had to be a Mini, specifically the new 2012 MINI Cooper S Coupe.Wait a minute. A-segment versus B-Segment? Two seats versus four? Coupe versus hatchback? Scorpion versus Bulldog? True, on the surface they're different, but dig a little deeper they're actually quite similar.

Both the Abarth and S Coupe are relatively powerful, thanks to high-boost turbochargers; are similar in size; and ride atop suspensions designed specifically for playtime on squiggly roads. And each brand has a storied European heritage on and off the track.

The people buying them are from similar demographic groups, favoring compact cuteness over interior volume and backseat comfort (in the case of the Mini, no rear seats at all). They seek out occasional driving enjoyment, and value fuel efficiency and urban mobility. And they're usually connoisseurs of all things pertaining to their car's respective maker -- aka fanboys and girls.

Kiino and I also wanted both cars to be of similar size and weight, hence the selection of the S Coupe over another four-seater from the Mini litter. Newness was taken into account as well; the Coupe (along with its Roadster sibling) is the latest Mini to hit our shores. Lastly, we hadn't put an S Coupe through our usual test regimen.So with keys to a little red Brit and an even tinier grigio-tinged Italian, associate online editors Karla Sanchez, Benson Kong, and I ventured into the mountains north of Hollywood, while Kiino caught a bird destined for Paris (we know, how unfortunate). It was time to find out which little ride was worthy of the Puny Performance crown.

Of all the retro-inspired automotive designs of the past decade, Roberto Giolito and his team at Centro Stile Fiat have done the original Fiat 500 the most justice. Yes, the 500's chic metal has grown in the 55 years since the first Nuovo 500 left its line in Torino, but its gregarious, cutesy, carefree personality remains. As testing director Kim Reynolds described it, "It's like a rolling scoop of gelato. You just want to take a bite out of it."Of course, Karl Abarth's version of the 500 underwent the same sort of five-decades-long metamorphosis to become the athletic Fiat you see here. Unlike the first speedier 595 Abarth of 1958, which donned a few discreetly placed scorpion badges and wider wheels, the modern descendant utilizes bold bodywork on all sides to maximize cooling, minimize drag, and bump up sportiness.Spoilers fore and aft protrude from the 500's gelato scoop lines to give the Abarth an edgier, motorsport-themed appeal. Optional 17 x 7-inch forged wheels are shod in 205/40R17 Pirelli P Zero Nero rubber house red-tinged single-piston calipers. And what's an Abarth without a few scorpions? Eight arachnids of various sizes indicate it's been given the special treatment."I'm in looooove with the Abarth's looks," noted Sanchez. "Cute and compact, but at the same time, it looks like it's always ready to rock 'n' roll thanks to that aggressive stance."Despite its tiny dimensions (144.4 inches long, 64.1-inches wide, 58.7 inches high), the Abarth has a huge presense no matter where its Pirellis roll. "I got nothing but thumbs-up and stares around L.A.," Sanchez continued. "People asked, 'Is that the one from the Super Bowl commercial?' It was amazing how much attention it got."

Granted, like any Italian conveyance designed with speed in mind, taking notice of the Abarth usually means hearing it first. One engineer on hand at Spring Mountain mentioned that it took upwards of 18 iterations of the American-spec exhaust to get it just how they wanted it. They shot for something racecar-ish -- loud, distinct, and did I mention loud? -- and ended up with a raucous voice that bellows with as much character as the car itself.Turn the ignition, and the 1.4-liter MultiAir growls, burbles, and pops, with its exhaust note making a scene just about everywhere we went. Peg the tachometer needle at an indicated 6500 rpm redline and the Abarth lets go of what sounds like 55 years of pent-up Italian anger.But after just a few minutes behind its relatively big steering wheel, the novelty quickly wears off and a nasty drone penetrates the compact's innards. Inside are a few garden-variety touches that differentiate the Abarth from base 500s. A turbo boost pressure gauge, thick three-spoke steering wheel, 160 mph speedometer, leather-wrapped sport seats, and an upper gauge cluster indicate its sportier pedigree.

While an uncluttered, designer-ish space, it's hampered by some downfalls. The sunroof, for instance, is covered by mesh that does little to block out the sun's rays when closed. Its navigation system, a handheld unit by TomTom that can be perched atop the dash, works well but can block some forward visibility.Buttons -- specifically those controlling the stereo -- are difficult to navigate, require a lot of scrolling through various menus, and don't feel like the sort of high quality you'd expect in a near-$30,000 vehicle. Though easy to connect, the iPod interface is anything but intuitive.Kong, always the sensible one, had this to say: "Sure, it's contemporary and chic and slightly sportier thanks to the pizza-pie-sized wheel, but there's more useable room and functionality in a modern-day phone booth than there is inside the car."

Around town, the Abarth's seats offer ample comfort, but they're not ideally suited for long distance jaunts. Nor are they the optimized for when city pavement turns to hilly mountain passes. Barstools have more lateral support.With Sport mode engaged, the Fiat's throttle is slightly more responsive, traction control less restrictive, the steering a shade heavier. Turbo lag in this mode is a non-issue. Pinning the skinny pedal at the top end of the manual's five gears gets the Abarth to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds -- respectable for a 2531-pound car with 160 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of pull on tap.You can thank a massive dose of 18 psi maximum boost pressure; the mill's numerous forged steel internals (crankshaft, connecting rods, etc.); hard anodized case aluminum pistons with cooling jets; and other racing-derived bits for the Abarth's captivating zest.Engineers put a lot of work into sharpening the top-heavy 500's handling, too. They installed 40 percent stiffer front, 20 percent stiffer rear springs, and dual-valve Koni shocks. New cast-iron lower control arms shore up the front end, and 1.5 degrees of additional negative camber on all corners were dialed-in for better grip. Ride height was cut 0.6 inch.

The parts drastically improve the 500's ability to attack corners, while minimally affecting ride quality. (Keep in mind, the regular 500 ride isn't the cushiest to begin with.) It willingly dives into corners without much nervousness from either chassis or driver. Turn-in is sharp. Tug its weighty wheel, and it reciprocates with little to no body roll after the initial corner engagement.But trace farther and push harder into the bend, and its surefootedness does an about-face. The Abarth's limited thresholds immediately appear, and once surpassed, massive understeer ensues. In big, slow corners, the 1.4-liter needs constant riling to tap its pool of 170 lb-ft of torque, not to mention maintain any speed. Traction control lights flash and the nannies kick in. The rear end becomes skittish under hard braking, thanks in part to it short 90.6-inch wheelbase and diminutive stature.Toggle traction and stability controls off and it's possible to manage the chassis' nervousness with an experienced right foot and a quick set of hands. Otherwise, you'll have a tough time getting the Fiat to do what you want in a go-fast, closed-course situation.As Sanchez pointed out, "The 1.4-liter turbo four has more than enough zip for this class of car, and you can definitely tell a lot of time and money was sunk into developing a potent, reliable, highly efficient powertrain. But that doesn't mask the fact that the car suffers from understeer both on and off power. It's the type of car that benefits from very precise driving."Despite the warts, Fiat and Chrysler engineers did an admirable job of turning a top-heavy, happy-go-lucky, Mexican-made, Italian-badged city car with a not-so-ideal 63/37 front/rear weight distribution into a fun-to-drive Scorpion. In that sense, just as Giolito did with Giacosa's design legacy, Fiat has successfully continued Karl Abarth's original mission of putting substantial performance into a puny package.But is it enough to beat out the British bulldog?

How on earth did they cram 2600-2700Lbs into these tiny little cars? The deceptively poor power to weight ratios and absurd price tags means they're not going to last in this "segment", if there even is one.

These guys have no idea what they're talking about. At the limit, the Abarth is TOTALLY neutral. All four wheels give up at the same time. Did they bother to check the tire pressures? Unlike the Abarth, the Mini actually oversteers. Not a good characteristic for novice drivers. The Abarth is one of the best handling and most fun to drive cars I've ever driven. It feels like a good rear wheel drive sportscar.

Ford should enter the mini-sports arena with a two door swoopy styling Fiesta coupe with the 1.6 turbo.There seems to be a market for this type of car now that gas prices are extremely high but we still have enthusiasts wanting sporty fuel efficient cars.

Mind if I add my 3 year's 10" huffy in this contest? What a freaking joke. Both of these cars are an joke, meant for people that are delusional and probably need to spend some money in the red light district.

I find it interesting that they compare to the Mini Coupe instead of the regular Mini Hatchback. The Coupe is supposed to be the best Mini of the bunch in terms of handling. Other publications have high prase for the Fiats handling. Further it seemed to to quite decent on a race track with the right driver. As you can see there is quite a gap in cost between Mini and Fiat. I would concide that the Mini may be the slightly better car but the Abarth more then makes up to it in price.

First, the important point. Catrinel Menghia is Romanian NOT Turkish.A nicely optioned Abarth with Leather OR the 17" forged wheels will cost well under $25k. If you want both, well under $26k. Anyone who would pay ANYTHING extra for a navigation system in this day and age has never heard of Google or an android smart phone.Cheers

Wholly Predictable Events: *Night following day*Political inanity in an election year (or any year)*Cars under $30K--regardless of size, shape, fwd/rwd, mission, class, number of doors, or driving feel--getting compared to a V6 Mustang in a Motor Trend post.

@ zxtunerVery nice correction.@Mini Cooper SI don't see how the shifter and clutch had a slightly negative review. I think that Getrag and clutch combo is wonderful, that is if they are the same in the 2005 Cooper and 2011/12 Cooper S hatch. However, not as great as a 911's or S2000's shifter/clutch combo (I can't wait to feel the BRZ/FR-S!).

@bobdevo You better believe I would cross shop while looking at these cars but compared to the BRZ and FRS? Well.. let's see.. The BRZ and FRS are torqueless wonders with about 150 lb-lbs high up so you can imagine the annoyance in daily driving. Although I'd have to give up rear wheel drive, I'd probably prefer these two cars over the previously mentioned due to the more favorable power curve provided by the turbos. Overall? cool cars coming out but quite frankly and in my book? they are underpowered relative to asking price....really good only as a potential used car buys.

@bigcjm: "Wow what does the brz/frs have anything to do with this comparison?"Uh, you mean besides the fact they are all about the same price, size, hp, etc, and anyone looking to drop $25k for a sporty car would most likely cross-shop a Mini or Abarth with the BRZ and FRS??? Or was this comparison strictly an overpriced FWD junk comparison?

@Maxx5 Although you are correct about base pricing of the Abarth being 22,700. You are incorrect as to the availability of a sunroof in the US models, I have one on order with a sunroof, delivery in May. Besides that I would have rather a test between the Mini S hatch and the Abarth but they are both good cars. The Mini just a bit too high of a price and lacks a back seat.

Mr. Martinez has his Abarth pricing wrong. Base MSRP is $22,700, not $27,000 and a sunroof is not an available option stateside yet, although it is in Europe, along with a Cabrio version. The only options now are an alarm and sat radio. MT must have gotten a Euro version for testing to coincide with the car's commercial release in the USA.

It's cool to see small cars coming around like this, and I actually find both of these cars desirable.. but the price tags are really a joke. Not to go into too much detail but part of me really wishes we would have a very stiff, worldwide recession because that's what it's going to take to knock certain businesses back into line. Time to push the reset button on the ol' volume profit model vs margin.

This article is blatantly wrong. The Mini should be disqualified for being WAY too overpriced. The Fiat's as-tested price of $27K is also too much. That said, a reasonably-optioned Abarth does have its place in the buyers market. No matter how fun to drive, no FWD car should be priced over $25K, the price of a Scion FR-S. it simply isn't possible for any FWD car to be more fun than the Toyobaru twins or the Mazda Miata.

I read this story because it has the excellent 1.4 Multi-air engine in it. I can't wait to see how this performs in the Dart.I can't stand the 500 or anything that Mini makes, so I could care less if they both became gigantic fireballs or spit gold out of their tailpipes. Well, maybe I would care if they spit gold out of their tailpipes, but only if it was a lot of gold.

These cars may be puny, but they wear fat a$$ window stickers!! Sorry, but there are simply too many far better choices, in most cases for less money, starting with the regular Mini Cooper S and of course, the original hot hatch, the VW GTI !!

I am kind of curious what options they added to both cars. All the performance is standard on both cars anyway.Everyone knew the winner before the test started. Mini's almost never lose a comparison to their competition.Wow what does the brz/frs have anything to do with this comparison? Take that garbage to the forums and keep the conversation relevant.

Both cars seem expecially over-priced, but my vote would be, $ no problem, the Mini. I like its looks better (though I would likely go convertible over coupe). I haven't driven an Abarth, but I have a "regular" 500 and it was fun, though it had a terrible blind spot.